New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ROCKS UPON ART.

BOOKS UPON ART.
MURAL PAINTING BY FREDERIC CEowsISsnhiikLD' IL
Iusfra.ea Pr l55. Boston: TicKnor q 60.
EARLY FLEMISH PAI S1u . BY NJ; 0S CO. II
ENGRAVING Byle vicomte HENRI DELABoRpE. Trsns-
t Casseii & Co.
Mr.. Crownirshields book represents general Gull
ture as well as special training The author Is
professional decorator and designer Of stained
glass windows, but he has not confined himself
to the technical considerations which have but
limited interest. This volume which contains pa
pers originally published in "The American Ar
chitect- sis not put forward as complete" but the
nuthor justiiies its appearance by tine lnnieui-
ate inheritance Of the subject the vast SCOPE Tor
mural decoration now offered by an extraordinary
building activity-an activity that Is likely W coh
tinue for years-and by the very misty IDEAS Una.
are entertained of its technics by architect cnehU
"a ,you,1 no nractitioner" In the American field
this book we believe, is the first OF inc XIII" anu
fts annearance is another sign Of increasing dis
content with the exclusive theory OF art. iCs
.ur,ose is directly connected with the IDEAS whch
are increasing the number Of schools or apphe1
art in this country, making elementary aft eouc"
ton more general and maintaining even al aca-
uemio institutions like the excellent 81 LOUIS
School of Fine Arts the dignity of soealled decor
alive art Mr.. Crowninshield is perfectly right ID
saving: Instead of the occasional VISIT OF lew
to some remote museum of fine arts or to Zee
exacting exhibition there should be the ehortless'
expenselcss communion with art at all times"
This desirable communion is to be brought about
according to the author by means of mural paint
fngs "For ages custom has sanctioned the
painted wall of temple. capitol and theatre, but
what glorious opportunities offered by the
walls of our colossal railroad stations our public
halls our mammoth hotels and costly restaurants
our vast stores Paint them, ana the peopic
would be brought face to face with art In the
daily routine of life and absorb it as children alb
sorb a foreign language" This, it seems TO U.S.
would depend very much upon the character OF
the painting. Mr.. COwninshiclds enthusiasm
leads him to regard mural painting as sort OF
aesthetic panacca and he appears to hold that bad
painting would be better than none, since the
habit of decoration once acquired the bad VIII
eventually be replaced by the good" There is
undoubtedly O certain amount of truth in this,
although the experimental stages would be slow
and painful. by mural painting, Mr.. Crown'n-
shield is careful to explain, he docs not mean zee
ometrical design merely or purely conventional
ornament, but rather figure work, combined per
haps with conventional ornament, or that sort OF
design where q free Imagination seems to dom-
nate the rule and compass, and which certainly
would not be repeated without notification"
His more conspicuous examples, presented to
the reader through the somewhat uncertain me-
dunn Of gelatine prints, are chosen from the
works of the great Italian decorators and from
those of Baudry and Puvis de Chavannes among
the mural painters OF our time. We cannot follow
him in the ampliGcations of his ideas
nor in his discussion of the education Of
the artist These chapters bear the marks OF
thought and sincerity plainly as the technical
portions testify 10 research and experience. MI
Crowninshield is an enthusiast, but very NIUE Is
accomplished without enthusiasm. His ideas are
inspiriting and it would be interesting to watch a
realization Of his plans for mural decoration. we
should not expect revolution in public taste
Education in art is something of slow growth
There are many who hold that such education
should begin at the top and that the possession of
q few great paintings will educate the popular
taste 1t is more reasonable DO begin at the other
end. The principles of good taste should be en-
bodied in articles in daily There should he
everyday opportunities for familiarity with art IN
whatever form it be manifested. Mr.. Crownin
shield has recognized this. The influence Of his
principles is wholesome and in his branch of APP
piled art as in others we trust that suggestions
may ripen into actual performance
Mr. Conway has treated the subject OF the early
Flemish artists and their predecessors upon the
lower Rhine essayist, rather than In The
precise historical manner with which many art
hanlboolls" have made us too familiar. lie deals
with principles, brings out the relat ons OF artists
to their time and treats OF general as well as
special influences, and his book therefore is read
able and more valuable than the common recaI it.
ulation of dates names and brief conventional
comments. One reason which has induced him
DO retraverse a familiar ground seems to be his de-
sire to utilize comparatively recent discON cries
and bring forward more prominently the schools Of
Naastricht and kOln. In the third edition Of
'"Early Flemish Painters" by Grove and Caval-
easelle reference to Wolfram Aschenbach's
mention of these schools is accompanied by slight
comment and allusiOn to enames, Illuminated
manuscript and other discoveries valuable TO the
historian of early Northern art. Mr.. Conway
goes further Since from these schools were de-
veloped the fifteenth century Flemish school and
TO the south the schools of the Rhine Valley, he
dcvotes much attention possible to four
teenth century German art and points out the
need Of a study Of art in the Rhenish district dur
ing the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a task
yet to be thoroughly carried out by quail
fed special student. This treatment gives
broader view of the subject and uster percep-
ton Of the influences affecting the Flemish school.
which is apt to be regarded as a sudden growth,
beginning abruptly with tho Van Eycks.
The love of definite classification is responsible
for many positive statements in the history of art
which require qualification, and among them
more familiar than the assertions that the
Van Eycks the founders of the Flemish
school and the discoveries Of oil painting. The
first history Of painting Of engraving which
comes to hand will probably contain these state
ments which have met with general but not uni
Sersal acceptance since the days of Vasari. But
after all when Mr.. Conway bluntly says at is
not true that the brothers Van Eyclx were the
founders Of the early Flemish school," his assertion
Is the distinction of purist and not an original
discovery His meaning is that there was con
siderable pre-Van Eyck Flemish work. which is
true, but most of the fourteenth century artists